Glimpses
by prettydisaster75
Summary: The Titans don't always fight crime. A collection of one-shots based on the things that happen between the fighting.
1. Duality

Duality (n) – a dual state or quality

Beast Boy was on his rock, his feet dangling over the edge and his hands playing with loose stones next to him. He had been there for a good half-hour, long enough to draw the attention of the empath. She was mildly interested when he didn't show up to breakfast, and then concerned enough to go searching for him when he didn't interrupt her while she read.

She picked her way over the rocky landscape, purposely making a decent amount of noise so as to alert him to her approach (not that his heightened senses couldn't smell the tea and lavender that seemed to be permanently part of her scent).

"I'm too animal to be human, and too human to be any animal. Is there a word for that?" Beast Boy asked softly, not looking at her. He flicked a pebble into the water. Raven settled herself next to him, floating above the rocks cross legged.

"Duality," she said after a moment, just as softly. "Cyborg feels it too, it's why he builds things."

"Do you feel it?" he asked, waiting for her to close up and tell him to stop worrying. He glanced at her, his head cocked to the side. He watched the emotions flicker through Raven's eyes. Hesitation, a little anger, sadness, then finally, resolve.

"Sometimes. Robin and Star are always so sure of themselves. And when they're tired of being heroes, they can slip into real life easily. The three of us can't. That's when I feel it the most." Raven tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and stared at the waves crashing on the rocks just beyond their spot. Beast Boy opened his mouth to say something when the alarm went off. He sighed and stood up, then reached a hand down to Raven. She took it and teleported them to the T-Car.

"Duality," he said, almost as if tasting it. Just as the door to the garage opened, he glanced at Raven next to him and whispered a quick "thanks." If the others heard, he would say it was for the teleporting. He was sure he saw a small smile and a nod from Raven before she turned away.

The next morning, a new box of tea was sitting on the kitchen counter and the water was already in the kettle. A small green kitten was asleep by the window in a patch of sun. Smiling to herself, Raven fixed her tea and settled on the couch to read.

When the rest of the team entered the room, they noticed the new box of tea, Raven, and the small kitten. Only now, the kitten was next to Raven, enjoying her absentminded petting while she read. Robin and Star glanced at each other while Cyborg shrugged and went towards the kitchen to fix breakfast. No one wanted to ruin the peace while it lasted.


	2. Bete Noire

Bete Noire (n) – a person or thing especially disliked or dreaded

Raven woke up so fast it took her brain a few seconds to catch up. She stared around her room wildly, running a shaky hand through her hair. The dark room seemed to crowd her, and the shadows seemed to move. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face. Mentally, she reached out for her friends.

As always, Robin was the first to find. Their bond made finding his aura the easiest. She took a few deep breaths, matching his even rate. He was sound asleep in his room.

Starfire was next. The alien was hyper-emotional during the day, and only slightly less so at night. She too was in bed, as was Beast Boy. His aura was equally bright, and Raven for once was grateful.

Cyborg, being only partially human, was always the hardest to find, especially at night when he was usually offline. Raven reached out farther, her panic growing when she realized he wasn't in his room. The wind picked up and a few books began to levitate. Raven reached for her communicator to sound the alarm when she found him in the garage. The panic faded almost immediately. Raven glanced at the clock – 4:37 AM. She chewed on her lower lip, debating between going back to bed and going to the garage. Sighing, she flipped the sheets off and left her room.

Down in the garage, Cyborg worked happily underneath his baby. He had reached full charge around 3 AM, and decided his car needed some TLC. He heard the door swish open.

"Hey Rae. Couldn't sleep?" He asked, not moving out from under the car.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked, peering under the car at him. He grinned at her.

"Only you would be up in the middle of the night, plus no one else really comes down here unless they need me for something. And they could easily call me" Cyborg said, finally sliding out from under the car. He sat up and faced Raven as she leaned against the counter. Her hood was down and he could see she was tired. Raven wouldn't meet his eyes, and she folded her arms. "Want to talk about it?" he asked her.

"No." she said.

"Fine." Cyborg shrugged. "There's some old shirts in the drawer to your left. We need to fix the engine, and upgrade the fuel cells. Might get messy." He pushed himself back under the car and heard Raven pull a shirt over her head. They worked in relative silence for a while, only talking when necessity dictated it. True to his word, grease and oil got all over both of them.

"I want to repaint my room" Raven said, after a while. Cyborg nodded.

"We can do that. What color were you thinking?" He asked, glancing over at her. Raven shrugged. Cyborg had lived with the dark girl long enough to know that it wasn't paint color that had brought her to the garage at 4:30 in the morning. "What about light grey?" he suggested.

"I think that would work," She said. "Do you think…" Raven trailed off, deciding not to ask whatever question was on her mind.

"I think we can definitely get it done before Beast Boy wakes up, so he won't bother you. Or get in our way." Cyborg said, ignoring the question she hadn't asked. "And if we start before Star notices, she won't badger you into getting pink walls."

"Thanks Cyborg." Raven said softly. Cyborg tightened one last bolt, then stood back.

"How about we go fix some breakfast? I'll make ya some waffles and tea, and then we can go to the store." Cyborg glanced down at his little sister, covered in grease, but smiling slightly. Raven nodded, and Cyborg put an arm around her shoulder. Together they walked into the kitchen.

A few hours later, Raven was covered in grey paint in addition to the grease stains, but the smile on her face couldn't be denied. Cyborg grinned back at her as he wiped paint off his arm.

"Looks great guys." They turned to see Robin leaning against the doorframe. "Need any help?"

"Nah we're good bro. But maybe you could fix us some lunch? I didn't realize it was almost noon!" Cyborg responded. Raven rolled her eyes. Robin smiled and shook his head.

"Lunch is coming right up. Then don't forget training after that!" He reminded, then walked away. The two Titans turned back to finish up their work.

Cyborg hoped the new paint meant there would be fewer nighttime visits from his little sister. As much as he loved her, he hated knowing that nightmares woke her up at odd hours.


	3. Anxiety

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Titans, I only enjoy writing about them :) Also, I took a few liberties with this one, including having BB and Rae in a relationship already. Writing about Rob and Star is new for me, so I'm not so sure how I feel about this one! I think I like it though. **

* * *

Anxiety (n) – distress or uneasiness of mind caused by fear of danger or misfortune

Robin woke up with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. It could have been the storm that had been brewing over the past week finally hit Jump City, bringing thunder and rain that were likely to last for a while. It could have been the late night calls the team had gotten three days in a row. It could have been the nagging feeling that he was unprepared for something.

It was most likely all of these things. And he hated it.

Robin ran his fingers through his hair and headed to the kitchen for a cup of coffee. He hoped against hope that Raven had started the coffee pot for him, but she had been in a mood ever since Beast Boy had taken a fairly bad hit against Adonis. Robin wanted to be annoyed, but he knew if it had been Starfire, he would have felt the same way.

Raven was sitting at the table, sipping her tea and watching Beast Boy with mild disgust. He was slurping his cereal faster than he probably should. Cyborg was cooking bacon and eggs, and Starfire was making something with mustard. Robin strode over to the coffee pot and was surprised to find a steaming mug sitting next to it, ready for him. Before he could ask, Starfire flew up to him.

"Glorious morning, boyfriend Robin!" She exclaimed. "I hope you enjoy the Joe Cup I made for you." Cyborg chuckled.

"It's Cup o' Joe, girl." He explained, taking a plate of food to the table. "And don't ask me who Joe is."

"I see." Star said solemnly, tucking the information away to analyze later. "Boyfriend Robin, what shall we do today? A picnic in the park? A journey to the mall of shopping? A lovely dinner and dancing? Travel to an exotic city with fireworks?" With each suggestion, Star floated higher and higher, encroaching more and more into Robin's personal space.

"Star, cut it out!" Robin finally exclaimed, moving away from her. The room fell silent. Star landed on the ground with a thump, her jaw falling open. For a second, hurt and pain flitted across her face, then she turned away from Robin.

"Friend Beast Boy, would you like to go to dinner and the movies with me?" Star asked. Beast Boy choked on a bite of cereal, and Raven elbowed him in the side.

"Umm… I…sure?" he said, coughing a bit more. Robin felt his face go hot, anger starting to boil in his veins. He wanted to ask what the hell was going on. The ball of dread in his stomach seemed to grow.

"Wonderful. I will pick you up at 6." Star said, then she strode out of the room without a backward glance.

"I'm gonna go patrol…or something." Beast Boy said, running out of the room. Raven continued to sip her tea and Cyborg just looked at Robin.

"Way to go Boy Blunder." Raven said. Robin whirled around at her.

"Me? I didn't do anything wrong!" Robin yelled. "You let your boyfriend agree to a date with my girlfriend!"

"You're the one who forgot your own anniversary." Raven explained, raising an eyebrow but otherwise not rising to the bait. The color drained from Robin's face.

"What?" he asked dumbly. Cyborg snorted.

"Man, you've been dating for 2 years now. You couldn't even remember one date?" Robin moved slowly over to the table and sat down with his head in his hands.

"Maybe she didn't know what she was saying? What it meant? Maybe she just thinks that on an anniversary you're supposed to have fun?" He said, mumbling mostly to himself.

"Oh for God's sake Robin. She knew exactly what she was doing. Don't belittle Starfire's intelligence by saying otherwise." Raven snarled, suddenly angry. She stood up, her chair sliding back roughly. "Fix this. Sooner rather than later." With that, Raven pulled her hood up and stormed out of the room.

"What did I do to her?" Robin asked, exasperated.

"Well, I can't imagine she feels too good with Starfire's sadness and anger beating up against her empathy skills, and then you blamed her for 'letting' BB say yes to Star, and then you insulted one of her best friends. Girl probably has one of her headaches on top of being tired like all of us." Cyborg explained, gathering his dishes and taking them to the sink.

"I'll buy her some tea to apologize." Robin grumbled.

"I think you should probably be a little more concerned with Starfire being angry with you." Cyborg said under his breath.

"I don't know what to do!" Robin moaned. Cyborg sighed and loaded his dishes into the dishwasher. He turned around and leaned against the sink, folding his arms.

"Look man, just take her to the pier for a nice dinner and a walk on the beach."

"We did that last month." Robin muttered. "I need something new and special."

"Okay… what about going to visit Chicago, and take her to some museums?" Cyborg suggested. Robin pulled his head out of his hands.

"That might work…she does love to learn about Earth."

"Good. Now go apologize and get your butt to Chicago. And don't call us. We can handle the city for a few days. Everyone's in jail anyways." With that, Cyborg left Robin to his thoughts.

30 minutes later, Robin stood in front of Raven's door with a peace offering in hand. He knocked lightly, and began speaking before she could answer the door or tell him to go away.

"Raven, I'm sorry. I never should have insulted Star or Beast Boy, you were right." She opened the door and leaned against it with her arms crossed. She didn't look angry, per se, and that convinced Robin to continue. "I know Star's anger and this week of crime is taking its toll on you." Raven narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to retort. "Wait! I didn't mean that to sound insulting. I'm screwing everything up today. I just wanted to let you know that I was sorry for being insensitive earlier, and if you'll forgive me and help me out, I would appreciate it very, very much. And I bought you your favorite tea if that helps." Robin handed her a box of passion fruit herbal tea. To his surprise and relief, a small smile pulled at the edges of her lips.

"I forgave you when you said I was right Boy Wonder, but thank you for the tea and the apology. How did you know this was what I liked?" she asked. Robin gave her a sheepish grin.

"I may have bribed Cyborg with new car parts to tell me what you like when you're upset. I didn't want to get anything else wrong today." He admitted.

"You said you wanted me to help you out. What all does that entail?" She asked him.

"Well, actually, I was hoping you could go to the mall with Star. Help her pack for a weekend with me in Chicago, but don't tell her. I want her to be in a good mood when I apologize to her and surprise her. Or at least not so much of a bad mood."

Raven made a face. "I just had to ask, didn't I? Fine, but only if you take my patrol night next Tuesday. Deal?"

Robin sighed, but smiled anyway. "Deal. Thanks Raven." She nodded, and turned back into her room.

"We will head to the mall this afternoon. Anything in particular she needs?" Raven called over her shoulder.

"We are going to a few museums, and then probably out to dinner." Robin answered, already heading down the hall to his room.

Raven changed into grey leggings and an ice blue sweatshirt. The rain continued to beat against the tower, and she wanted to be as comfortable as possible if she was going to have to venture to the mall with Star. Disappearing in a swirl of black magic, she reappeared outside Starfire's door.

"Star, it's me. Can I come in?" Raven called out.

"Of course friend. You are always welcome." Starfire responded, not sounding upset in the least. Raven took a deep breath, knowing that being in the same room as Star was going to push the bounds of her empathy. She slid the door open and walked into the bright pink room.

"Would you like to go to the mall with me Star?" Raven asked, twisting her fingers together and bracing for any emotional onslaught. Starfire looked up, taking in the civvies Raven wore, and smiled.

"Are you sure you want to do that Raven? I know it is not your favorite place to go."

"I need to get out of the Tower, and I think you do too. Let's go." Raven said, smiling a little bit. Starfire nodded and headed for the closet to find something to wear, then stopped. Raven felt her panic wash over her.

"What's wrong Star?" Raven asked, alarmed.

"Oh friend Raven, I have forgotten to do the apologizing! I should not have asked Beast Boy to go out with me, even to make Robin jealous. I truly hope you can accept my apology and you do not think that I am trying to be a boyfriend stealing glorbnak!" Tears began to well in Starfire's eyes.

"Star, I know what you were doing, you don't need to apologize. I know you wouldn't steal Beast Boy from me."

"Indeed my friend. He is like a younger brother to me and seeing the two of you happy makes me happy as well." Raven smiled at her.

"Go put something warmer on. It's still raining, and I can't cure the common cold."

While the girls were gone, Robin secured dinner reservations, museum tickets, and a hotel room for the weekend. He then snuck into Starfire's room and scattered rose petals everywhere, and left an invitation to join him for a weekend adventure on her bed where she would be sure to see it. He then returned and paced the length of his room, trying to come up with anything else he should do to win over Starfire's forgiveness. He was beginning to work himself into a panic when there was a knock on his door. Beast Boy stood on the other side.

"Hey dude, I just wanted you to know I wasn't really going to take Starfire out tonight. I wouldn't do that to anyone, much less you guys." Beast Boy looked like a little kid trying to prevent getting a punishment.

"Don't worry Beast Boy, Raven already chewed me out. Cyborg a little bit too. Although, why did you say ok?" Robin asked him.

"Saying yes to her was kind of a knee-jerk reaction. Not because I want to date her, but because she and I have gone to the movies before. Same as when you and Rae go to the coffee shop downtown sometimes. It's just something you do because the two of you need that. It's like a friendship thing." Beast Boy said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Plus, I was kind of counting on you figuring out a way out of this, seeing as it's your anniversary."

"Yeah well, who knows if there will be any more anniversaries after this." Robin sighed, sitting down on his bed.

"Aw come on dude, Star can't stay mad at you forever. She loves you." Beast Boy said.

"How can you know that? I can't believe I forgot our anniversary!"

"But you love her. And that gets you halfway there." Beast Boy grinned. "How come you think Raven stopped throwing me out the window when I annoy her? I tell her I love her, and make her some tea!" He chuckled. "Anyway, just be sincere, apologize, and promise to do better next time. Works for me every time!"

"Thanks BB. I owe you."

"We're cool dude. Just don't break Star's heart anymore ok?"

"I don't plan on it." Robin answered, feeling as if a weight had lifted. Beast Boy headed off to the main room to go play video games or something, waiting the arrival of the girls.

After a few hours of spending money at the mall, the girls returned home. Starfire had a new dress and a few new outfits, and she had even convinced Raven to buy a pretty but not skimpy black dress, under the condition that she needed one in case they were ever invited to a formal event. Raven hadn't bothered to argue too much, only because it made Star happy and secretly, she loved the dress.

They walked into Star's room to see what Robin had done.

"Oh my!" Star exclaimed, dropping her bags and snatching up the invitation. Her smile grew as she read. "Friend Raven did you know about this?" Star turned around and asked, but Raven just smiled and disappeared into a portal, waving as she went. Star packed a bag quickly, and at 5 o'clock on the dot there was a knock on her door. She opened it to reveal Robin looking casual but handsome in a button up shirt and dark jeans.

"Starfire, would you please accept my invitation to go to Chicago this weekend?" he asked her, blushing.

"I would love to Robin." She said, smiling brilliantly.

"Then let's go. We have a busy day planned at the museums tomorrow, and a plane to catch tonight." He extended his hand, and Star took it. He grabbed her bag and they took off for the garage. "Oh, and Starfire?"

"Yes Robin?"

"I am very sorry for snapping at you this morning, and for forgetting what today was. I love you, and I hope you can forgive me. It won't happen again, I promise." He said, remembering Beast Boy's advice.

"I love you too Robin, and I forgive you. We cannot be perfect all the time."


	4. After

**This one feels rough. Especially the end. I don't like how it ended. Oh well.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans**

* * *

After (preposition) - subsequent to and in consequence of.

Looking back, she realized that she thought of everything in terms of _after, _like one of those old movies where the movements were jerky and uncoordinated.

After Cinderblock broke out of jail for the 273rd time. After Beast Boy made a lame joke, and Robin said something that was supposed to be intimidating but really wasn't. After Cyborg and Starfire hit Cinderblock at the same time, a tried and true move to bring him down.

After their tried and true move wasn't so true anymore.

After she threw her shield up, blocking debris from hitting Beast Boy. After it bounced off, and she grabbed it and threw it back at the giant nuisance. After Robin shot past her, all sorts of weapons at the ready.

After she realized she was staring at the blue sky above her, after she found herself on her back in the street.

After Star screamed, and the sound was a mix of rage and fear, and Beast Boy gasped for air, reeling at the sound of bones snapping and muscle tearing.

After she noticed the blood pooling near her, and she realized that it was too bright red to be her own.

After she heard Cyborg yelling at her to get up, to move, to react, but it all sounded so far away, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and fight the headache that was currently growing. After Cyborg grabbed her arm and carefully pulled her to her feet, not letting go until he saw her gaze harden like steel, coming back into focus. After Cyborg told her to take Robin and _go_ for God's sake.

After she realized that Cyborg was giving her a direct order as second in command, and she had to obey. After she spun away from him, grabbed Robin, and disappeared in a wave of black magic faster than anyone had ever seen her react before.

After she reappeared in the Tower Med Bay, setting Robin on a bed and chanting her mantra before she even knew what injuries to address first. After she found two cracked ribs, a femur broken in three places, and torn ligaments, cuts, and scrapes all over. After she realized how much magic she was about to expend. After she started working methodically, keeping an eye on his vital signs. After she decided he needed a blood transfusion.

After she only found one pint of Robin's blood type in the med bay fridge (and wouldn't you know it, the boy was O negative.) After she realized the bond between them wasn't as strong as it had been that morning. After she clung to it like a life raft in the middle of the bay.

After she called Cyborg in a panic, while healing their leader, watching his vitals, and staying coherent through what she assumed was her own concussion. After Cyborg muttered a few choice words under his breath, and she heard the tires squeal as he took a turn too fast. After he told her to do her best for now and he would run to the hospital.

After neither of them offered reassurances to the other.

After she set the broken bones, sealed the cuts, repaired the ligaments, and stabilized the ribs. After she kept an eye on his blood count as best she could. After she started the one bag of blood running, hoping Cyborg would make it back with a new bag before this one ran out. After she twisted her fingers together, not quite praying (because she was half a demon, and had a cynical view of religion), but not quite just doing nothing either.

After Cyborg ran in, followed by a sobbing Starfire and a timid, quiet Beast Boy. After she told Beast Boy to take Starfire to the kitchen, because she could barely hear herself think over the sobbing (and then instantly regretted saying so).

After she finally noticed the color coming back into Robin's cheeks. After his breathing deepened and his heart rate slowed to normal. After Cyborg gently guided her to the contamination showers, to wash the blood off. After she stepped out, shivering, to find that Beast Boy was back, this time with her grease stained, but well-loved garage-working clothes to change into and a cup of tea to drink. After she collapsed into a bed next to Robin and allowed Cyborg to examine her own cuts and bruises, so that he could determine for his own peace of mind that she really wasn't any worse for the wear. After she asked Beast Boy to let Star back in.

After she apologized for snapping at Star, and promising that the Boy Wonder was going to be fine.

Only then, after everything that had happened that afternoon, did Raven allow herself to collapse onto the bed next to Robin. No one said anything when out of sheer exhaustion, she fell asleep, a small green kitten on the bed with her. Starfire and Cyborg kept watch over the two birds, and thus, the Titans spent the night in the Med Bay.

When Raven awoke, the kitten was gone, and Robin was awake. Star and Cyborg were nowhere to be found, although in the back of her mind, Raven knew they weren't far.

"Hey" Robin said, noticing she was awake. He stopped flipping channels and focused his attention on her.

"Hey" She said back, her monotone a little bit rough. She ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the thought of still not being clean of dirt and blood. "What time is it?"

"9 PM. Tuesday." Robin answered, grinning a little bit. "We slept through all of Monday."

"I feel like I could sleep until Friday," she said. "Where is everyone?"

"Cy is recharging, Star is making dinner, I think, and I'm sure Beast Boy is keeping her from adding mustard to the soup."

Raven swung her legs over the side of the bed and walked over to Robin. She lifted her hand, encased in blue magic, and was about to heal more of Robin's ribs and leg when someone grabbed her wrist. She narrowed her glance at Beast Boy and opened her mouth to protest.

"Nope. No magic Rae. Cy's orders." Beast Boy said, with a certain air of smugness.

Raven nearly growled, but sat back down on her bed and accepted the cup of tea Star brought her. "Why does Cyborg think I shouldn't do magic?"

"Because you saved Robin's life, at the expense of your own healing." Cyborg answered, leaning against the door. "Robin is stable, so you don't need to do anymore. You need to heal yourself. I think you have a concussion, and I'm not willing to risk otherwise." He raised an eyebrow at her, and met her glare with his own. Raven frowned, but nodded, taking a sip of her tea. She set it down on the table next to her and lifted her hand to the back of her head, letting the cool healing magic take away the small headache.

"There. I'm fine now." She said, a little petulantly. Cyborg rolled his eye.

"You two are cleared to leave, so let's get out of here. And maybe next time Robin, you could try to be less reckless and not dive right under Cinderblock's foot."

The team left Robin fuming and Raven smirking in the Med Bay.


End file.
